


Riptide

by wildfrancium



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fine Arts College, Hurt/Comfort, eventual clexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 23:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4157370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildfrancium/pseuds/wildfrancium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophomore year at Fine Arts college is going to be very different than Clarke expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Riptide

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to write a fine arts clexa au.

Lexa. Slim, beautiful Lexa. Miss I'm-good-at-everything Lexa. 

Clarke continued to scowl at her blank canvas while the rest of the class was settling in. If she had one more person talk to her about Lexa she might actually lose her mind. And it wasn't that she hated Lexa or anything, they got along great, but her roommate for the last year had spoken maybe a total of five sentences to Clarke and yet everyone thought Clarke was _so_ lucky to breathe the same air as such a talent. 

And Clarke didn't think that way. 

“Your face is gonna freeze like that,” Bellamy said from behind Clarke. She looked over her shoulder. 

“Are you helping?” Clarke asked confused. Bellamy was majoring in life drawing and was extremely talented, but he'd already taken the class Clarke was in. 

“Yeah I told you this,” he told her. Clarke didn't remember, but then again she usually had rather disjointed conversation via text with Bellamy as he was always holed up in the studio. 

“Mmm don't remember,” Clarke said dismissively. She turned back to her canvas. She hated life drawing. Landscape was her forte, but she was encouraged to expand her skills. Now she was in a level three nude model life drawing class. 

It wasn't the worst thing she could be doing, but having people constantly bombarding her with compliments to pass on to Lexa had put her in a sour mood.   
“Of course,” Bellamy said folding his arms. The teacher called for the classes attention and called forth their subject, Bellamy Blake. 

Bellamy grinned at the shocked Clarke. She had to stifle a laugh. Of course Bellamy would offer to be the model. Bold Bellamy who made everyone think he was gods gift to the earth. Having grown up with Bellamy and his sister, Clarke knew he was more than he let on. She knew about his dreams of being in the army, she knew about the heart condition that held him back, she knew about his mother's drinking problem and eventual death four years ago, and how Bellamy worked hard so that he could give his sister the world. 

Clarke shook her head as he disrobed. She'd seen him naked plenty of times, so once more wasn't going to kill her. Besides, she chose to focus on his legs. 

 

After class, she walked with Bellamy to the dorms. He lived off campus, but was going to the dorms in search of his sister, Octavia. As usual, Bellamy's phone was dead. 

“Clarke I really do like it,” Bellamy said again looking at the canvas. 

“Bellamy, the first thing you said when you saw it was my ass does NOT look like that,” Clarke said rolling her eyes and holding the door open for him. 

“No but like now that I'm looking at it,” he said. Clarke rolled her eyes again heading up the stairs to the second floor where Octavia's room was. 

“CLARKE!” Raven bellowed from her room. She hopped out the door of her room. “Clarke,” Raven repeated taking a deep breath. Raven Reyes. Took a year off from college to heal after a bad car accident. Happiest when welding. “I need your art history notes. I can't stay awake in the class.”

Clarke shook her head and unzipped her back pack. “Just bring them back this time,” Clarke told her. She shared notes with Raven all the time, but rarely had them returned to her. Mostly because they were swallowed up by the abyss that was Raven's room or the dark hole that was the metal shop. 

“Yeah, yeah, so what did you draw?” Raven asked hopping over to Bellamy. He showed her the canvas. She scrunched her nose. “We are doing life sculptures this semester too, but I don't think I have to look at a dick to do it,” she told Clarke. Clarke handed her the notes. 

“It wasn't that bad,” Clarke informed her. 

“Yeah sure,” Raven said hopping back into her room. 

“Just wear the damn brace!” Clarke called. Raven flipped her off. 

“Thank god no one has to share a room with her. They'd get lost for sure,” Bellamy joked. Clarke laughed. His statement was sad, but painfully true. 

The door to Octavia's room was open and Clarke found Finn and Octavia's roommate Emori in very strange position while Octavia sat on her bed eating an apple and watching them. 

Finn, Raven's best friend, theater major, and too outgoing for his own good, smiled at Clarke and set Emori down. “I'm trying to recruit Octavia for our production of Rent,” he said. “Emori is already on board.”

Emori was a dance major and dated Finn's grumpy writer roommate John Murphy. 

“I don't dance,” Octavia said to no one in particular. Octavia Blake. Bellamy's baby sister. Master choir and opera singer. Extremely talented. Flaunts it to her cute vocal instructor Lincoln. 

“It's Rent. Is there even that much dancing?” Bellamy asked. 

“Uh kind of,” Finn said with a weak laugh. 

“We just want you to try out,” Emori told Octavia as she went about reattaching her prosthetic arm. Octavia didn't looked convinced. “Seasons of Love, La Vie Bohme, all that good stuff!”

“Isn't Harper always the lead?” Octavia asked. Finn shrugged. 

“There are a bunch of women in Rent.”

“Yeah... okay as stimulating as this conversation is, I came here to tell O we are going out to dinner,” Bellamy said. 

“It's Friday already?” she asked slipping her shoes on. “I keep thinking it's Thursday. Lincoln wasn't here so.” she finished with a shrug. 

“Yeah I'll pretend to believe that,” Bellamy muttered. Clarke laughed. 

“I'm going up to my room,” Clarke said still laughing. She took her canvas from Bellamy. “Guys,” she said nodding to everyone. 

Clarke's room was on the fourth floor. There was an elevator, but it was slower than dirt. She climbed the stairs and entered the room. She smiled at Lexa who sat on her bed, a book propped up on her knees. 

“The concert will be amazing,” Clarke commented. During her free time she, like many other students, went and watched whatever was rehearsing on stage whether it be dance or music or a play. Occasionally she'd go over to the art gallery, especially when Raven or Bellamy had pieces showing. Or the new freshman photographer who had already made a huge impression on everyone. His name was Monty Green and, like Clarke, his parents wanted him to go to med school instead. 

“Thanks,” Lexa said. It was more than the usual nod. 

“Everyone has been talking about it,” Clarke added when she realized her earlier annoyance had dissipated. Clarke looked at her as she nodded. “I'm going to spread out. It won't take long,” Clarke said picking up her portfolio. 

Lexa nodded again and went back to reading. Clarke knew she was lucky things worked so well with Lexa even if they didn't talk much. Lexa let Clarke spread art supplies and projects all around the room when she needed to and Clarke let Lexa practice whatever instrument she decided to drag to the dorm. And neither minded. Or at least Clarke didn't and Lexa never told her to stop putting her shit everywhere. 

Clarke pulled three canvases out of the portfolio and lay them out. They were for a class on using different color pallets and expanding the mind. They were all done with various mediums. She needed to complete six projects by the end of the semester and she didn't know if she wanted to continue on one or start the fourth. 

“Your friend stopped by,” Lexa said suddenly. Clarke turned. She'd just seen everyone. “Wells,” Lexa filled in. 

“Really?” Clarke asked. Even though they'd been friends since birth, things had been rocky since she turned down med school for a fine arts college. Wells was going into poly sci at the nearby university. 

“He said he wants to see your work,” Lexa stated. “I told him the show was October 1st.”

“Oh uh thanks,” Clarke said with a smile. She was glad to know Wells wanted to see her work although why he didn't text her was strange. 

“He dances,” Lexa added. Clarke turned to look at her again. He did, but Clarke didn't think Lexa would have had enough of a conversation to know that. “On the weekends. In the class Anya teaches.”

Anya. Clarke had never felt more intimidated then when Anya showed up at her dorm room to help Lexa move in last year. Anya was one of the few people Clarke had seen Lexa have a conversation with which made sense because according to facebook they were sisters. And Anya was the only one to ever post and tag pictures of Lexa. 

“What?” Clarke asked. She was even more confused. Lexa looked annoyed for a brief moment before her face went back to being neutral. 

“It's a partner ballet class for advanced dancers. I have seen him. He dances with Emori.”

“Wait what?” Clarke exclaimed. Now Lexa did look annoyed. So Clarke back tracked. “I didn't know he was taking classes. He said he was done with dance,” Clarke said more to herself then to Lexa. Lexa nodded anyway. 

Clarke pulled out her phone and sent a text to Wells. They'd spoken a bit during the summer, but not since July and it was mid September already. 

She turned back to her projects on the floor. None of them were calling to her. She kind of hated the class because when she painted it was for realism. Not strange color pallets. Life drawing was better than different color pallets. 

“I like the one with planets,” Lexa said almost making Clarke jump. She looked at the second canvas and then at Lexa.

“Thanks,” Clarke said with a small smile. Lexa had just spoken more to Clarke than she had in the last year. It was weird, but Clarke kind of liked it. She gathered up her work and put the planet picture into a different portfolio that she'd take to class. 

 

It was late when Clarke got back to her room, but like most nights Lexa sat on her bed strumming her ukulele. It was the only instrument with a permanent home in their room. Her case was worn, but the ukulele was bright and shiny. Clarke had never heard Lexa sing while she strummed, but Lexa did hum when she thought Clarke was listening to music in her headphones. 

Tonight was a song Clarke hadn't heard Lexa play before, but she was pretty sure she knew the words. 

Lexa didn't look up at Clarke, just continued to strum with her eyes closed. Clarke smiled to herself. Lexa always seemed most relaxed late at night with her ukulele. 

So Clarke quickly changed into her pajamas and pulled her hair into a bun. She glanced at Lexa again, she still sat strumming with her eyes closed. She climbed into bed and unlocked her phone. Wells hadn't gotten back to her which bothered her, but at the same time it seemed like the ballet stuff was meant to be a secret. 

She checked facebook to see Raven was ranting about art history. Finn was trying to convince everyone to try out for Rent. Emori was posting music from the movie production to try and sway people. Murphy was complaining about it saying it'd been stuck in his head all day. Nothing new or exciting. 

As she scrolled through she began humming along to the song Lexa played. Clarke didn't consider herself a good singer, but she wasn't bad. 

And the words were on the tip of her tongue. 

Clarke glanced at Lexa. She hadn't moved and her eyes were still shut. Which meant she didn't mind Clarke's soft humming...

“I got a lump in my throat cause you're gonna sing the words wrong,” Clarke whispered. The strumming stopped. Clarke looked at Lexa who was staring at her expressionless. “We should sleep,” Clarke said to break the silence. Lexa nodded once before getting up and putting the instrument away.   
Clarke felt awkward, almost like she should apologize...

But her phone rang and the text she read tied her stomach into knots. Clarke was out of bed in an instant yanking a sweatshirt over her head and stuffing her feet into her shoes. She took deep breaths trying to keep calm, but her hands we shaking. 

Clarke paused for a moment to try to compose herself. She had tried to prepared herself for situations like this. She told herself over and over that she was prepared. But in the moment she felt helpless. There was nothing she could do except go there.

She wanted to call her mom and cry, but that'd do nothing either. Besides, Clarke was sure she was asleep. 

“What happened?” Lexa's question brought her back to Earth. Clarke looked at her sadly. 

“I need to go to the hospital,” Clarke said in almost a whisper. Lexa nodded.

“I can take you,” she added. Lexa was already putting her sweater back on. Clarke didn't know what to say. Lexa probably knew she didn't have a car and as it was Clarke didn't know how she was supposed to get to the hospital. In her preparation, she figured she'd call a cab. But Lexa was definitely the better option. 

Clarke nodded. “Okay,” she said as Lexa grabbed her keys. 

“Emergency room?” she asked as they headed to the stairs. Clarke nodded again. She didn't have it together enough to answer. But luckily Lexa didn't ask anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr >>> lexatargaryen.tumblr.com


End file.
